Bioelectrical manipulation

Bioelectrical manipulation is, in its most basic form, manipulation of the mind.[citation needed] Most Lunars, for instance, have the ability to use bioelectricity to control what others think, see, and feel. For example, a Lunar can "glamour" a person into thinking that they are his or her mother, tricking their victim by disguising themselves as someone trustworthy. Bioelectrical manipulation has also been used to force enemies to hurt themselves or their allies, to create false emotions in others, and even to improve a Lunar's physical appearance in the eyes of his or her peers.

Lunar citizens are gifted with varying levels of this ability. Palace guards tend to be less skilled so that members of the court can easily manipulate them. Lunar thaumaturges, on the other hand, are chosen for the strength of their gift and can control crowds of people at once. In addition, Luna's royal family is notoriously talented, and perhaps among the most powerful, in bioelectrical manipulation. The first Lunar king, Cyprus Blackburn, was also the very first person to develop the Lunar gift.

"Centuries prior to World War IV, Luna (then known only as the moon) was colonized by a small group of researchers from many different Earthen countries in order to further space research and exploration. There was little fighting over territory due to the “Moon Treaty” drafted by the United Nations in 1979 S.E. After sixty years of existing as a jumbled colony of numerous Earthen countries and cultures, the colony was recognized as its own country—a republic.[1]

The first true Lunar was a man named Cyprus Blackburn. As a child, his DNA was damaged by the prolonged exposure to ionizing radiation from cosmic rays. This DNA damage developed into what is known as the Lunar gene. This mutation enabled him to output and control bioelectricity to implant thoughts into other people’s heads. He was able to use this power to convince people to elect him as the leader and eventually turn the Republic of Luna into a monarchy.

This is about the time that distrust began to spring up between Earth and Luna because Earthens were confused and suspicious of the ease with which Blackburn was able to change the country’s political structure.

For a few generations, the royal bloodline was the only bloodline that included the Lunar gene, but due to Luna’s minuscule population and the royal family’s notorious promiscuity and abundance of illegitimate children, the gene became more common with each generation and eventually became dominant within the society.

Despite the growing mind-control powers of the lower classes, there persisted a common belief that Lunars would lose their gift if a person of true royal bloodline wasn’t on the throne. This superstition was encouraged by the royal family and royal scientists even proved its validity in multiple government-funded studies. Any scientist who suggested otherwise was promptly imprisoned or executed.

Due to a process called hormesis, another genetic mutation began to develop within society as well: a mutation that resulted in one’s inability to output or receive electromagnetic stimulation from others. Lunars born with this mutation were called “shells,” a derogative term referring to how they were “empty” of the gift. As shells cannot be brainwashed or controlled with the Lunar glamours, they were generally distrusted and a target of abuse and hatred.

In the 108th year of the third era, a shell managed to infiltrate the royal palace and murder the king and queen—leaving their two daughters, Channary and Levana, the only recognized descendants of the royal bloodline. Following her official coronation, Queen Channary enacted the shell infanticide laws stating that "Any Lunars born as shells were to be promptly disposed of in order to protect the sanctity of their society."